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10. Choosing Rest - Friday Evening · Family Prayer Podcast

0:00
Good evening, Grace Harbor. It's Dan.
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I hope you had a fabulous Friday.
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I'm so glad that we've gotten to spend time together this week.
0:09
It means so much to me that you've all been here for this
0:12
first week of the podcast.
0:15
Before I shared the first episode, when I was dreaming about this idea,
0:19
I was thinking about families like yours listening,
0:23
sharing with one another, and praying together.
0:26
But you never know if anyone will actually listen.
0:29
So the fact that you're here means the world to me.
0:34
I hope you've enjoyed getting to learn a little bit about Grace Harbor.
0:37
I love this town so much, and it's been hard not to just tell you
0:42
all about everything and everyone, but
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I know we'll have lots of time together.
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And hey, you got to come with me to the Christmas tree lighting,
0:52
and that's one of my favorite events of the year.
0:54
So that was pretty special too.
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I want you to know that I've been praying for you this week.
1:01
You’re one of the things I'm most grateful for.
1:04
While we're in celebration mode, I think we should all give each other
1:08
high fives for participating this week, especially if this is the first time
1:13
you've practiced disciplines like gratitude, intention,
1:16
and prayer regularly or together as a family.
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It's a big deal that you started.
1:23
These practices are not only a great way to start and end each day,
1:28
they also help us grow over time.
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One of the ways
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we can see that growth and learn from it is by looking back at our week.
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It reminds us what we did, what was important to us,
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and how God was with us through it all.
1:44
I'm going to lead you through three reflection questions,
1:47
and if it's not too late, I encourage you to take your time.
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Plan on pausing the podcast, and if something someone shares
1:56
leads to more questions or deeper discussion, feel free to keep talking.
2:02
I'll be here when you get back.
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And if it is getting late,
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you could always write some of these things down and pick up the conversation
2:10
this weekend.
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Let's start with this question:
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What was one of your favorite things that happened this week,
2:17
and why was it meaningful to you?
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My favorite thing was definitely the Christmas tree lighting on Wednesday
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night.
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I get to celebrate my all time favorite holiday with so many friends and neighbors?
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It's the best!
2:32
Go ahead and share your answer with your family.
3:04
Our second question is:
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What was something about this week that wasn't so fun?
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And how did it make you feel?
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For me, I'm disappointed that it ended up being a rainy day today.
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I was looking forward to celebrating the first week of the podcast
3:20
around our backyard fire pit, but the weather isn't cooperating.
3:25
We still made microwave s'mores after dinner, but
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I'm going to miss the crackle and warmth of a real fire.
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Go ahead and share your answer when you're ready.
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Last question:
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As we shared our gratitude, intentions, and prayers together this week,
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was there anything you or someone else in your family
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said that really meant something to you?
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How did that make you feel?
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For me, it meant a lot to hear your voices
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when some of you sent in the things you were hoping for.
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I can see the number of downloads in my app, which tells me
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people are listening. But getting to hear your voices made it really sink in-
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There are real families listening along.
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Go ahead and share with your family now.
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Time for my last challenge of the week.
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Do you remember this morning when we talked about sabbath,
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which is the word, the Bible
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sometimes uses to talk about resting and recharging?
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I had you all share some calm things that help you rest,
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and some active things that help you recharge.
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I know that this is a super busy time of the year, and your family's
5:34
schedule may already be full, but sabbath
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isn't always about being less busy.
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Sometimes it's about making space for the things that matter,
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or looking at the things you're already doing in a new way.
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If you can find even just an hour or two
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to do something that helps you rest or recharge,
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I promise it'll be worth it.
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And just a heads up, part of how I'm going to rest
6:01
and recharge is to take a break from the podcast on the weekends.
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You can still practice these disciplines together,
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either by making up your own questions, continuing
6:12
tonight's reflections, or revisiting an episode from the week.
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But I'll be back with you on Monday morning.
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Next week we'll look at the second theme of Advent, which is peace.
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And if you thought we were done talking about Christmas
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cookies after the 500 we handed out on Wednesday,
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boy, do I have great news for you!
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As we end our
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time together this week, let's pray.
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If you want to, you can close your eyes or fold your hands,
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or you know what?
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Sometimes Friday night is the night for wiggly prayers.
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Dear God, we thank you for this day and for all of your blessings.
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I thank you for this first week of the podcast
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and all of the families that have joined us here in Grace Harbor
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on this exciting new journey of growing in our faith together.
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We pray that you would give us a good night's sleep tonight
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and a restful weekend so we can come back together, ready for a brand new week.
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Amen.
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All right. Good night, Grace Harbor.
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Thank you again for an amazing week,
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and I'll talk to you on Monday.